Wireless Acess Point / Wireless Ethernet Bridge?

[lukelukeluke]

Hi there.
I'm a bit confused about these wireless things. First thing is: What is a wireless ethernet bridge? As far as i know, an access point is somekind like a switch where many clients for exempel laptops can get an internet connection from.
But whats a wireless ethernet bridge? Is it possible to integrate such a thing into a network, and use it like a point where many laptops with wireless cna come together? or is it just a thing which can be used for one machine only?
Zyxel ZyAIR B-420 is such an ethernet bridge... What is now the difference between this and a access point?
(i have 2 laptops and 4 pcs in my network, all are using ethernet. I would like to put the laptops wireless with a clean and cheap solution.)

Second thing is this compatibility thing.
For exempel: i have a 3com, a zyxel and an iconnect pcmcia etehrnet card, and a macintosh laptop with an airport card. They are all 802.11b (11mbit) standart. Now will they all work together on an access point? or are there any exceptions?

thanks alot for help!

 

[bcastner]

The notion of a wireless "Bridge" is the same as a wired "Bridge", to connect two cabled segments together under the same network segment.

Wired-> wireless bridge <- wireless bridge ->wired

Rather than run cable, you can span the distance with two wireless devices in Bridge mode.

You want to connect the access point to a wired point, and use it as an 802.11b Access Point, not a bridge.

 

[lukelukeluke]

huh, well i dont really understand what you mean.
Is it now possible to use a wireless ethernet bridge as an access point?
for exempel this zyxel ZyAIR B-420?

 

[bcastner]

It is either in bridge or client mode, or in access point mode.

It cannot be both.